Putin says will ‘knock out teeth’ of Russia’s adversaries

MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin warned on Thursday that Russians would "knock out the teeth" of those who attack their country or eye its vast territory, amid a deep crisis in ties with the West.

Speaking at a government meeting, the Kremlin chief said that Russia’s enemies were looking to clip its wings every time the nation grew strong.

"Everyone wants to bite us somewhere or to bite off something from us," Putin said. "But they -- those who are going to do it -- should know that we will knock out their teeth so that they cannot bite."

Even after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia, the world’s largest country by land mass, is "too big for some", Putin said. He did not name Russia’s adversaries explicitly, but said it was important to keep developing the armed forces to protect the country.

The 68-year-old Russian leader, who has been in power for more than two decades, is known not to mince words during public meetings. In 1999, he famously promised to strike at separatists even in the "outhouse" which heralded the adoption of tougher tactics by the authorities against Chechen militants.

Tensions between Moscow and the West are high over a litany of issues, including Russia’s troop buildup on Ukraine’s border, interference in US elections and other perceived hostile activities.

But signs of a possible détente have recently been growing, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging dialogue during a face-to-face meeting in Reykjavik on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Moscow said on Thursday it saw "no grounds" for conflict in the Arctic but warned the West about militarising on Russia’s doorstep.

The two sides have recently increased their military posturing, with the United States sending bombers to Norway and Russia conducting large maritime and air exercises. "We have highlighted at the meeting that we see no grounds for conflict here. Even more so for any development of military programmes of some blocks here," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters on Thursday at the close of an Arctic Council meeting in Iceland.

"And we are satisfied to note that our partners agree with us on this," he said, as Moscow took over the two-year rotating chairmanship of the forum that also includes the United States and six other countries bordering the Arctic.

Despite largely consensual remarks from the foreign ministers at the meeting and pledges of US-Russian "cooperation" in the region, Lavrov drew some clear lines, reflecting the mounting geopolitical stakes in the vast territory.

He said he would discuss directly on Thursday with Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Marie Eriksen Soreide Oslo’s moves to "reinforce (its) military presence close to our borders". Lavrov accused Nato of putting US troops on "constant rotation" in Europe to avoid "permanent" deployments, barred under agreements governing relations between Nato and the West.